Final Alternate Fantasy IV
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: A novelization of the game, only different from any of the others around. Read and see for yourself. [revised with the text from the Japanese version]
1. Prologue

**Final Fantasy IV**

**Prologue**

I stand, leaning against the mast of the Red Wings, watching the world go by below me. The wind is gently blowing my ivy green hair into my eyes, which are a remarkable emerald green, as I've been told numerous times before. I watch the ocean and the landscapes move below us as we continue to fly back to Baron.

The Red Wings are large airships, painted in the color red, of course. It was the best way of transportation nowadays, but not every city or village possessed one or more. To be honest, Baron was the only city that had them. The King wouldn't allow others to possess even one of the airships. This trait made Baron the strongest city of all. It sort of made me proud to live in Baron, but for the past few months, my pride starts to fade away, slowly.

The King's been acting strangely for these past few months, demanding so much of us. So much that I'd rather not do.

"Captain Ryoku! We are about to arrive at Baron!" one of my men says, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah…" I mumble calmly, not moving from my position against the mast, which does not hold a sail, but large propellers to keep us afloat.

I lower my head as the wind continues to ruffle my hair. The other soldiers start talking amongst themselves.

"Looks like it's bothering the Captain as well…" one says.

"Even if we were ordered to do so…" another fills in.

"Taking the crystal from innocent people is…" a third starts, but is unable to finish.

I close my eyes, trying to banish the thoughts from my mind, but finding myself unable to. We are on our way from Mysidia to Baron, from what must've been the worst mission I've ever had. I hang my head silently, as if in defeat. The King had ordered us to get the Crystal of Water from Mysidia. The Crystal of Water was a large crystal that was considered a national treasure there, but the King of Baron demanded that we went to retrieve it.

I did not enjoy this at all, trust me.

* * *

"Give us the Crystal of Water!" one of my men had shouted at the elder, two Black Wizards, and a White Wizard blocking our way.

"What have we done?" the elder had asked.

I wish I knew the answer, but I didn't.

"The crystal or your life!" I had shouted, knowing my mission had to be completed, no matter what the costs.

"Never!" a Black Wizard shouted in anger, and started preparing a Black Magic spell.

I simply scoffed and said to my men to take the crystal by force, though I hated saying that. My men also disliked the idea, but they did anyway, not daring to refuse an order. Before the spell could be completed, two of my men had taken down both of the Black Wizards, who screamed in agony, before dropping to the ground, dead before they even touched it.

The White Wizard looked at her fallen comrades, and said, close to crying: "No! Don't!"

"Dare to defy us?"

Before she could make a response, she was already killed without remorse. Or at least, that's what all watchers would've seen. Trust me, my men might follow orders, but they're not heartless.

The elder looked at the fallen mages, then slumped and said: "All right… Take the crystal!"

"You should have said it earlier!" the crewmember in front of me said, knocking the elder aside.

Without a second thought, I stalked up to the crystal, and easily grabbed the glittering gem from the pedestal. I studied it for awhile, before putting it in my pouch and heading for the exit.

"Why is the King of Baron doing this?" the elder suddenly asked. "Why do you pursue the crystals so eagerly?"

I never turned around. I had no answer to either of those questions. For one of the many times of my life, I was without words to use.

* * *

And so, here we are, back on our way to Baron to give His Majesty the news of victory. But for once, I have no pride over the victory.

None at all.

"We earned our positions as the Red Winds crew through valor and bravery!" one of them suddenly says, catching my attention. "Looting innocent people is an act of cowardice!"

I feel anger boiling up inside me. Sure, I dislike this as much as they do, but that doesn't give us a reason to disobey the King. I know I must sound a little overprotective of the King, but I can't help it. I've been abandoned as a child, and the King willingly took me in. I trust him like he was my own father. But right now, I'm starting to lose that trust in the King.

"Stop!" I say, stepping away from the mast.

A few members of the crew walk over to me, looking terribly saddened by what they'd been forced to do.

"Captain! Why are we going as far as pillaging a town of Magicians who don't even resist!?" one of them pleads.

I desperately want to tell them that I disliked this as well, but I just can't.

"Listen, everyone!" I say instead. "His Majesty has decreed that possessing the crystal is absolutely necessary. The people of Mysidia knew too much about the secret of the crystal, and were a threat to the continued sovereignty of our country. We are the Red Wings, the air power of Baron. His Majesty's orders are absolute…"

I don't mean a word, and they know it.

"Captain…" they plead with me again.

"Captain!!"

I look up in confusion, along with everyone else.

"Monsters are attacking!"

I look up, squinting against the sunlight, before I shade my eyes with my hand. Oh crud. He's right too. A whole swarm of Float Eyes is heading our way. Float Eyes are large monsters with a single eye that almost cover their entire face, if you can even call it that. Attached to their heads are bat-like wings, and their legs are too small to carry their large bodies.

"Prepare to fight!" I cry out, and everyone immediately takes on their destined positions.

I quickly put up my helmet, hiding my hair under it, and making me look more threatening. The Float Eyes give a loud screech as they start to attack us in groups of four or five. I pull out my Dark Sword, which is to be wielded by a Dark Knight only, and that being me, it'd be logical I was the wielder. I easily manage to get rid of two of them, before this starts to annoy me. I pull out a Red-Fang, which I easily throw at the Float Eyes, causing them to catch fire as it explodes. They're nothing but ashes when they hit the deck, before the wind blows them away.

"Agh!" I suddenly hear behind me, and I turn around to find one of my men with a rather deep wound on his arm.

"Are you all right?" I ask, walking over.

Before he can respond, we're suddenly shrouded in darkness.

"More are coming!" someone shouts, to which I respond with a loud: "Damn!"

I quickly look up, and gasp at the large Zuu dropping down from above. Hurriedly, I use a Blue-Fang item, which knocks the oversized bird out of the sky with relative ease.

I guess, sometimes it pays of to be a Dark Knight. But Dark Knights are the most feared by people, because everyone thinks they're trained to kill without a single bit of remorse. Also, they're easy to recognize with their pitch-black armor, which is supposed to make us look tougher than we already are. But there's always _one_ Dark Knight in the army of Baron, always has been, and probably always will be.

I stand near the mast after giving the injured man beside me a potion, and shout: "Is everyone all right?"

Everyone turns to me, saluting.

"Yes sir!"

"The monsters surely have been increasing lately though…"

"There's just too many of them nowadays."

I know, but I don't know how that happened. I don't know what caused it, but something tells me it's not good.

"Is something… trying to happen?" I whisper almost inaudible.

I lean against the mast again, thinking things over once or twice. What's happening nowadays? It's like nature's turning against us for some reason.

"We have arrived at Baron!" I suddenly hear.

Perfect! We're back! It's about time, too.

"Prepare to land."

The airships all halt, hanging still in mid air, before lowering gently to the ground. No matter how many times I travel with these things, this part always makes me feel a bit queasy. I don't know what it is, once I'm on it, it's okay, but once we have to get down, I get all sick and stuff. I never let it show though.

Once we've completely stopped, I calmly get off of the ship, heading for Baron Castle immediately, like I was supposed to. Funny, I've never once really made my own decisions. I always allowed the King to run my life. I wonder why.

When I get to castle, Beigan walks out. Beigan's the King's right hand, a chancellor you might say. I've never really liked him though. Ever since I was a kid, he'd been plotting to get rid of me, one way or another, but the King wouldn't allow it. Beigan has blonde hair and light green eyes, but even so, he's still no sight to see, trust me.

"Oh! You have the crystal, boy!" Beigan said gladly.

That's his nickname for me, and I hate being called a boy. When I was a kid, I didn't bother, but now, it's starting to annoy me. The guards of the castle also hate it, seeing as I'm very popular amongst people in the castle. Don't ask how come, I don't know myself.

"Yes, I do. But the Mysidians didn't resist at all…"

Beigan looks at me curiously.

"What are you saying?" he asks.

I say nothing. What was I supposed to say anyway?

"Come, His Majesty is waiting," he says, and leads me into the castle.

I follow soundlessly, watching as a guard pulls a chain in the wall to open the door. Another something that you'll only find in Baron. It's something Kikai, our master engineer thought up. He's a good guy, and one of the few good friends I have. A lot of people say he's a nutcase, always fiddling with machinery, but he's not. No one's very sure of his age, but everyone suggests he's somewhere in his mid-forties, though he doesn't act that way. Not at all.

As we approach the throne room, Beigan suddenly stops. I'm lucky I have fast reflexes, or I would've run into him.

"Please wait here a moment," he says, looking at me briefly, before walking into the throne room.

I wonder what's going on.

* * *

Beigan walked over to the King, and said: "Your Majesty… It seems Ryoku has developed a distrust of the Throne…"

The King quirked an eyebrow at Beigan, and asked: "Truly!?"

Beigan simply nodded.

"Well done, Captain of the Guards! Thank you for letting me know! But all that matters is the crystal…Call in Ryoku."

"Yes, my liege."

Beigan bowed and walked back to get Ryoku.

* * *

I look up as the door opens.

"Sir Ryoku, His Majesty awaits. Please enter."

Whenever the King's around, he always calls me by my title. He doesn't want to lose his job I suspect. Nonetheless, I don't let my thoughts show as I walk into the throne room calmly. Beigan's already there as I go through one knee for the King, before standing up again.

"Well done, Ryoku," the King says. "So, where is the crystal?"

What is going on around here? What's wrong with the King?

Nonetheless, I pull out the crystal, holding it up and saying: "Here, My Liege, I have it."

Beigan walks over, and takes the crystal from me. I watch as the King and Beigan examine the crystal, calmly waiting to be dismissed.

"It appears to be genuine," I hear Beigan say.

"It is! Oh how it glimmers… like light shining on the depths of the sea…" the King says. "You may leave. Ryoku!"

I bow once more, and make for the door… but stop halfway. The Mysidians we murdered came back to my mind, and again, I find myself mourning their deaths, and wondering if it'd been really necessary. I will myself to just leave, but my mind's against my body and I turn back around.

"Your Majesty…" I call out, making Beigan and the King jump.

The King's crown nearly topples over, and he quickly straightens it.

"Wh-what!?" he asks.

"Wh-what is it?" Beigan asks, equally confused.

I take another step forward, saying: "Your Majesty, we do not understand your motives. Why is it you need the crystals? Was it because the Mysidians were becoming a threat? Then why didn't they resist? We do not understand why innocent bystanders had to die."

I hesitate for a moment, but then I continue.

"Some have even wondered if your actions are… altogether… honorable…"

The King frowns angrily, and demands: "So you distrust your own King, Ryoku?"

I gasp in surprise at what he says, and stumble back before regaining my composure again.

"No, I didn't mean that at all…" I say, sounding calm, though I was starting to panic on the matter.

"Did you think I knew nothing about your true feelings!?" the King demands, and I blink a little in confusion.

What is he talking about? What true feelings? I really don't understand what the King means, and I'm not even given the chance.

"To think that I took you in and raised you just like my own son, and trained you…"

Okay, that didn't really make sense. Even though I was trained properly, most of my training had still taken place outside the castle-walls. The King only added his dose of training to it.

"Now, not even you can trust me… I can no longer entrust you with the command of the Red Wings," the King says, and I flinch.

Oh no. Please no…

"As of now, you are relieved of your post!"

Startled, I take a step back, unable to form any words at all.

"Your new charge is to eliminate the Phantom Beasts that haunt the upper valley!" the King says with his most angry voice, and it scares me.

He's never been mad at me before. What have I done to deserve this?

"Please wait!" a familiar voice calls out behind me, and I can only pray that it really is who I think it is.

Stepping up next to me, is the only Dragon Knight in the army, the first female knight ever, and my best friend in the whole world.

"Ryoku wasn't…" she starts, but she's rudely cut off.

"Karei, if you're so worried about Ryoku, then you may go with him!" the King orders.

Oh no! I can't let that happen to her! She's done nothing at all to get involved in this!

"But your Majesty!" I say, trying to reason with him, but it doesn't help.

"I have nothing more to say! Here! Take this ring and go!"

I get a ring shoved in my hand, and we are forced out of the throne room by the guards, even though I see regret shining in their eyes.

Once we're in the hallway, I hang my head sadly and say softly: "Sorry for getting you mixed up in all of this, Karei."

Karei releases a soft chuckle and says: "Don't worry your pretty little head off, Ryoku! Once you defeat those Phantom Beasts, the old man will surely forgive you, and you will be reinstated as Commander of the Red Wings."

"And you're going to lose your job as a Dragon Knight if you keep talking like that," I say softly.

We both laugh at that, with Karei leaning on my shoulder for support as she has her other arm slung over her stomach.

That's Karei for you, always good at cheering people up, yet still serious when need comes knocking. Karei's been my best friend ever since I was a kid. Karei was the first and only girl in a family of 8, meaning she has 7 older brothers. Her mother had died a month after her birth in an accident at her house, as I've heard. Karei's father had been the last Dragon Knight before her, so, being raised with nothing but warriors around her, it was natural that Karei learned the arts of fighting herself.

Also, if there's one thing Karei loved doing, it was jumping, for good reason too. Karei was famous for her strong legs, even though they looked like any other girl's legs. She could easily jump up onto the highest tower of the castle if she wanted to. And she did, whenever she couldn't sleep. No one was sure how she did it, but it's that that made her so very special, along with her coloration.

Few people know Karei's haircolor, seeing as she's always seen wearing her armor when in the castle and Baron, but it's a deep bluish hue, close to light purple. And her eyes were like a pair of rubies that no one could possibly afford. I swear, I've never ever seen eyes of such a brilliant red color.

As I mentioned before, Karei's a Dragon Knight, so her armor is the light green, almost blue, dragon-like armor. Her helmet was shaped like a dragon's head, with two dragon ears on the side, and her entire armor seemed scaled, though it was awfully smooth if you moved along with the scales, and there were claws on the top of her hands, but they overlapped her fingers, not making her hands the claws. Her boots had a sharp edge at the heels, which she used to embed into her enemies. The pads on her shoulders held her cape in place, which was the same color as her armor.

All in all, she was a girl many a men would kill for, if only to touch her skin, instead of her armor. The only part of her skin not covered up, was her still young looking face, while she was already in her twenties, around 5 years younger than me.

"Come on, Ryoku! Let's get some grub! I'm starving!!" Karei says, and starts pulling me away from the throne room, toward the mess hall.

I really appreciate her company and her friendship. Without her, my life would've been completely empty, for all of my friends, I got through her. So you could say, without her, I wouldn't really have a social life.

After we get some food, we seat ourselves on a table, still in armor, simply eating in silence, though I don't really taste the food. My thoughts keep going back to what I've gotten myself into. I overhear someone saying that if Karei and I team up, there'd be no one that could ever stop us. Oh, too true. Karei and I work as a team, even if we're only the two of us.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Karei suddenly asks, making me look over at her.

She looks confused, her slanted eyes looking at me intently. She's concerned about me, I can tell. I look down at my plate in shame, poking a little at it with my fork.

"I'm really sorry, Karei…" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Why are you still apologizing? It's my own fault by the way! If I hadn't barged in, I wouldn't have to help you. And besides, I can't let my best buddy go somewhere without me being involved, can I?!"

I smile at her, silently thanking her with my eyes. She can read me perfectly, so I don't even bother hiding my gratefulness. Still…

"It's not that, Karei. It was my mission today…"

Karei looks at me curiously, cocking her head to the side.

I look back at my plate and sigh.

"I learned the art of the Dark Sword as ordered by His Majesty. But it should have been to defend Baron, and not to harm innocent people. Maybe apologizing will help clear my conscience," I whisper softly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ryoku! I'm sure the old geezer has a good reason for his actions."

Somehow, I find that hard to swallow. And this food too.

"Ugh," I say softly as I try not to choke.

Karei chuckles, then turns serious and puts a hand on my shoulder, making me look over at her.

"He raised us, Ryoku. He would never do anything less than honorable… That's the same lesson he taught us, remember?"

I smile at her, nodding softly to show her I did.

"Karei, I really envy your faith in His Majesty," I say softly.

Karei chuckles and turns back to her own plate, mumbling: "That's where you're wrong. The only one I am truly loyal to, is my father. But… he's dead."

I drop my fork, and I stare at Karei in shock. My mouth opens and closes, trying to form words, but nothing comes out, safe for a single word.

"When?"

"Do you remember when I came to Baron the first time? Proclaiming that I couldn't get any training done at home?"

"…Yes."

"Then."

"Then?"

"Yes. He became terribly ill when I was still young, and he died 7 months later. But he made me promise something to him. You know how he was a Dragon Knight as well, right?"

"Of course I do! Your father was truly loyal to the King. I don't think he…"

"That's a lie. He might've acted like it, but he wasn't. His loyalty lay with my brothers and I, and he served the King only because he had to. You know, the King actually wanted _me_ to be the Dark Knight," she suddenly says, catching me by surprise. "Had I mastered the art of the Dark Sword, like the King had commanded, I probably would've ended up like you!"

I chuckle, and Karei smiles warmly at me.

"But father made me promise I would honor him by following his path as a Dragon Knight," she says, turning to her plate again. "Sometimes, I just wish he could see me today. I truly hope he would be proud of what I've become…"

"Of course he would've been proud!" I say, putting a hand on her shoulder like she had done to me. "If I compare you with how you used to be, then I have to say you really grew up! And fast!"

Karei smiles at me again, then says: "Maybe so, and I started to ramble a lot more than before. That's just not like me!"

I laugh briefly, but then she turns serious on me.

"But as for you!" she says, poking me in the ribs. "You shouldn't be worrying about today, but at me besting you! Because I'll be the one to kill those Phantom Beasts!"

"What?!?!" I say in surprise. "No way! I won't let you best me! It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens!"

"Really?" she says, peeking over my head to the window. "Holy crap! I think Satan's giving free sleigh-rides!!"

"Karei!!"

"Ryoku!!"

We laugh whole-heartedly, and I can't help but feel like a weight has just lifted off my shoulders. But as the laughter fades, my fingers gently turn the ring I'd gotten from the King before me. I finally just take it in my hand and look down at my plate. I only ate half of it, and I just figured out I wasn't as hungry as I thought I'd be.

The Mysidians come to mind again, and I give a shuddering sigh.

"I'm… not really hungry. I… I'm going to my room."

Before Karei can even respond, I leave the hall, heading for the tower in which I sleep. I don't want to leave her like that, but I just need some time alone for awhile. Karei's my best friend and all, but I don't want to give every single burden I have to her. This is my burden to carry, not hers.

I calmly descend the stairs, heading for the tower, which was on the outside, but still inside the castle.

"Ryoku!" a voice behind me suddenly says.

I turn around, confused, and notice Mae standing there. Ah, yes, Mae's a fine example of the friends I made through Karei. Mae never once noticed me before I met Karei, and she always thought she was better than me, just because she was a few months older, but Karei fixed that. Karei became quick friends with Mae, but she was still my best friend, and Mae, at first, couldn't stand it, until she learned that I was an okay guy. Or, that's what she said.

Still, now, whenever Mae wants to talk to me when Karei's around, Karei always says something that makes it sound like we don't want her around, and she leaves, laughing as we're left behind, most of the times spluttering, and rather embarrassed. Okay, Mae's my friend, but I don't like her _that_ way. But Karei just can't seem to get it.

Mae had light white hair and pure blue eyes, which always sparked with some kind of emotion. Right now, it was concern.

Mae's not a knight. She's actually a White Wizard, which means she has no offensive magic, and only has healing magic up her sleeves.

"You're not hurt are you? Karei and I were worried sick about you!" Mae says, looking a tad angry, though I know she's relieved to see me uninjured.

"No, I'm not hurt. I mean, how could we be? We couldn't get hurt by a bunch of Magicians who didn't even resist…" I say, trying to sound casual, but the single sentence makes me feel even worse than before, though I don't show it.

I turn around and plan to head toward my room, but Mae stops me again.

"Hey, Ryoku, can I talk to you later?"

"Yeah, sure," I say calmly, before Mae bounds up the stairs she came down from.

With a sigh, I head out the door, and make for the tower. It's one of the highest towers of the castle, and still Karei can jump all the way up to my window up at the top floor. I smile faintly at the memory, because she's already done that when we were still kids, on more than one occasion.

"You're back, Ryoku!" I suddenly hear, and I jump at the sudden sound.

I look around, confused, until I hear a whistle from somewhere above me, and I look up and to the right to see a familiar face smiling at me. A little later, from just beside the tower, comes Kikai, our master engineer around here.

Like I said earlier, he looks like he's in his forties somewhere, but he's still as hyper as a child. He has a rather bushy fiery red beard, which fails to hide his mouth somehow, and he always wears a pair of goggles over his eyes. He practically always wears his work-attire.

"Karei's been worried sick about you! If you make her cry, I won't forgive you!!" he says, but I can tell he's teasing.

"Make Karei cry?! Never!" I cry out, indignantly, but I'm also teasing.

Even so, I dislike thinking that Karei would cry over me. I just don't want her to mope over me if I were to die.

"By the way, how are my lovely airships doing? I don't want your crewmen abusing them!" he asks, smiling that broad smile of his.

I know I must look down, for when I don't answer, he asks: "Hey, what's with that face?"

I sigh and tell Kikai how the King dismissed me from my post as captain of the Red Wings, and how Karei and I got stuck with the mission to head to Village Mist.

At the end, he gives me a blank look for awhile.

"What?!" he finally demands. "Nobody besides you could command the Red Wings! Jeez, what's with His Majesty recently?"

I shrug to show him I didn't know.

"I'm not sure what the King is thinking."

"No, me neither. I mean, the King hardly ever gets angry with me. So what did I do wrong?"

"I don't know, but he keeps telling me to make a new model of airship… but I don't want to turn the airships into war machines!" Kikai says, lightly pissed off. "And now he tells you to go hunt Phantom Beasts?"

I nod simply.

"The townspeople are all confused…" he mumbles. "Not to mention me. In any case, you be careful! You'll kill those Phantom Beasts with one strike of your Dark Sword!"

I chuckle quietly, and nod calmly, though I certainly don't feel that way.

"I'm going home. I've been spending a lot of time at work recently… and my daughter is giving me hell about it!"

And with that, he's off. I don't even have the chance to say goodbye.

Slowly, I head up the stairs of the tower to my bedroom, finally arriving in my room. I carefully remove the helmet from my head, shaking my head to get rid of the sweat that had gathered on my head. After fully getting rid of my armor, I get into bed, still in a shirt and some trousers. It takes quite long for me to fall asleep, as my thoughts are nowhere near sleep.

"Why is His Majesty behaving this way?" I whisper into the darkness of my room, as my clock ticks away without a care in the world. "As a Knight he was known for his kindness and valor. Karei and I were orphans, but he took us in and raised us like his own children. But now…" I trail off a little. "Mysidia's Crystal… is it something so necessary that we must take it by force from innocent villagers?"

The only answer I got, was silence. Still, I didn't want to kill anyone else.

I scowl up at the ceiling, hissing: "To think that we would do such a thing, even under orders!!"

Finally, I close my eyes, and try to fall asleep.

"Ryoku?" a voice asks, and I open my eyes to see Mae enter the room.

Oh great, just what I need. I turn away, facing the window as she comes closer.

"What happened? One second you're being sent to Mysidia… The next you're being sent off to kill some ghastly monsters. And you've been acting strange since you came back."

"No, it's nothing…" I mumble softly, still refusing to turn to her.

She comes closer again.

"Then why aren't you facing me?" she asks, sounding confused as well as concerned.

Oh, I don't want my friends to carry my burdens around… but I have to get this off my chest.

I sigh sadly and mutter: "In Mysidia… I killed innocent people, plundered their village, and stole their crystal, all for what?! Why did I do such a thing? It's as if my heart has become as dark as my armor!"

I hear Mae gasp in shock as I place my chin in my throat.

"Did you tell Karei? She might be able to help you."

"I don't want to trouble her with my troubles. She's got enough of her own."

That's quite true. Even though she's a Dragon Knight, she does get into trouble every now and then. Nothing she can't handle though.

"I'm just a spineless Dark Knight, just a mere pawn of the King…" I mutter before I even realize it.

"Oh, come on Ryoku! If Karei were here she'd literally knock some sense into you, you know?" Mae says, tapping on my skull with her knuckles, making me wince lightly.

"Ouch."

"I heard you were going to Mist tomorrow, what'd you do to get the King upset?" Mae asks as I sit up.

"Truth is, I don't know. But I might as well do as he says. I mean, what choice do I have?"

"Good point. But be careful! I've got a bad feeling about this!" Mae says, looking at me with a worried look and adjusting her white robes a little.

"Ah, don't worry about me. Karei's coming too," I say, trying to lighten her spirit.

"Haha! Right, you two are the 'Invincible Duo'! How can I forget?" she says, laughing.

I frown. Actually, I had hoped that she _had_ forgotten. As kids, Karei and I were always known as the 'Invincible Duo', because during training, we sucked when we were apart, but once we worked together, sorting out strategies on how to defeat the enemy, we were unbeatable.

"It's late, Mae," I say calmly. "You should get some rest."

"Sure, take care, Ryoku!" she says, and leaves my room.

I wait until she's gone, before smiling.

"Thanks, Mae… But I'm only a Dark Knight… What can I do?"

With a sigh, I fall asleep, and have a dreamless night.

* * *

Morning comes quickly, and I put on my armor, fasten the Dark Sword's sheath on my belt, and grab my pouch and the ring. What's with this thing anyway? Oh well, it's probably something important. So, I head out of the tower, and head for the hall.

The second I arrive, Karei walks over, holding her traditional spear in hand.

"Are you ready, Ryoku?" she asks, a confident smirk grazing her face.

I return the small smirk, and say: "I'm counting on you, Karei."

She nods calmly and says: "Just leave everything to me! Let's head for the city of Baron first. Get some equipment, information, the usual. Come on! We're off!"

Walking side by side, and in step, we march through the castle, with the guards watching us leave, some smiling and encouraging us, while others simply tell us good luck.

Finally, we leave the final barriers of Baron Castle, and the world greets us with bright sunlight that almost blinds us both. Still, we look at each other, smirk, and step out into the world, ready to face it in battle whenever we have to.

* * *

_Thus, the Dark Knight Ryoku was stripped of his command of the Red Wings._

_And he and Dragon Knight Karei were ordered to journey to Mist, a provincial village, which lay beyond the mountains in a valley encased by a deep fog…_

_Airships…_

_Flight long had been an unattainable dream of mankind._

_These vessels gave men the power to soar through the heavens._

_Soon, like all of mankind's gifts, it became a tool of greed._

_The country of Baron became the world's strongest military power through their Airships, the Red Wings._

_But why would such a powerful country seek out the crystals?_

_What power do they hold?_

_Why does mankind corrupt every realization of its dreams?_

_And why are the monsters increasing even in daylight?_

_The crystals shed their light silently……_


	2. Chapter 1

****

Final Fantasy IV

Chapter 1

"It's locked," I say softly after jingling the handle of the armory.

"Ah, big deal!" Karei says with her usual carefree/careless attitude. "We've got our own weapons and armor, so why would we need it anyway?"

I hate it when she has a point. Still, it would be nice to actually get some new equipment. Even so, there's nothing we can do about it here.

"Come on, let's study the route we gotta take at the café," Karei suggests, and I agree, knowing I won't be able to win an argument with her.

The café is in the inn, and seeing as it's still quite early, a lot of people are still snoozing away.

We find an empty table and Karei orders some beer for us both, before pulling out a map. I'm used to Karei drinking, seeing as she grew up with 7 brothers, as well as her father and the other knights at the castle. Mae still dislikes the idea, but like Karei once said, she couldn't stop the younger girl from drinking.

"Okay, Baron's here," Karei mumbles, pointing with one finger at a cross that was Baron and started dragging her finger carefully over it, mumbling this and that. "And… Mist's over here."

"So, what would be the shortest route?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

Karei smirks at me. Oh boy, here it comes.

"Chocobos!" she says, still smirking.

I groan when she says it, and ask: "What do you have with those birds?"

Karei looks at me like I'm crazy and says: "I grew up around 7 brothers who always held matches on Chocobos, and who kept saying I wasn't old enough to ride. Can you help me if I say I just feel like making up for the years I've missed?"

"Sorry, my bad," I say, raising my hands in defense.

I admit, Chocobos are nice to ride on, but Karei always wants to ride one when she gets the chance, and that's starting to get annoying. Chocobos are large yellow birds with long legs and sharp beaks, but with rather small wings. So, they weren't built to fly. Well, safe for Black Chocobos, but you hardly saw those anywhere. It was illegal to keep Chocobos as pets, or breed them, so in order to ride Chocobos, you had to go to one of their villages to capture one of them and just tell them where to go. Problem was, they leave once you get off of them.

While we're chatting, a girl walks over, bringing us our drinks.

"Oh my gosh! Y-y-you're the Dark Knight!!" she stutters upon seeing me.

"Yeah, I am, aren't I?" I ask calmly.

She looks like she's about to faint, but Karei hurriedly gets our drinks, and pulls out her money pouch. She then grabs the girl's hand, and drops a few gold pieces in it.

"Keep the change lass," she says with a gentle smile. "And keep up the good work."

The girl stutters for a moment, then smiles and says: "Yes ma'am!" and she leaves, quite happily.

Karei rolls her eyes and holds up her mug.

"Nothing a good bunch of gold coins can't cure," she mumbled, taking a swig.

I sigh and take a cautious sip myself.

"So, what happened in Mysidia that got you so upset yesterday?" Karei suddenly asks, nearly making me choke.

I look at her in shock.

"Did Mae tell you?" I ask, almost afraid to know.

"No. Why do you think I stormed into the throne room when I did?" she asks, to which I give a small shrug and a shake of my head. "I was standing right outside the door, Ryoku. I had been waiting for you to come back."

For a moment, I can't find any words to use, so I simply stare into my mug for awhile.

"Why were you waiting?" I ask, unable to stop myself.

I already know from Mae that she was worried, but I have to hear it from her myself. I doubt she'll admit it though. Though, the sudden silence that rewards me startles me for a second. I cautiously look up from under my helmet and notice she seems to be thinking of something, not looking at me at all. She's fingering her mug thoughtfully.

"I was… looking for someone to spar with, alright?" she says, but I know it's her way of saying she was worried.

She always says that, but I can tell just by looking at her that she had intended to say something else. But she keeps hesitating at the last second. Was it really that hard to just say she was worried? But I never pressured her. I knew it was probably hard enough for her as it is.

"So, what happened?" she asks again.

I sigh softly, and take another swig of my drink. I should've known she'd figure it out one way or another. Somehow, I can never hide anything from her. I don't know how she keeps doing it. She just does.

"I'll tell you once we leave," I say softly, not planning on letting anyone else but her know.

"Yeah, I'll remind you of that," she says, and downs her beer with utmost ease.

I do the same, and we finally get up, ready to leave.

"Let's go!" she says, grabbing her spear and heading outside, with me following her calmly.

I can see some people look at us with the same stares that Karei always gives Mae and me when she leaves us alone to talk. People know Karei and I are best friends, but that's all we are. A lot of people in the city we've known for years have been trying to hook us up multiple times, but it just wouldn't work. She's my best friend. I admit, we worry about each other a lot, but isn't that what best friends are about? Worry and care for each other?

And besides, I just don't feel _those_ kind of feelings for her.

We're walking toward the near Chocobo Village, seeing as Karei wants to ride those birds so badly. And besides, it beats walking anytime, so who am I to complain?

It doesn't take long for us, or should I say, Karei, to capture two Chocobos, seeing as she's much faster than those birds. Even so, she intends to save her energy for jumping, which she'll most likely do a lot. So, we mount the Chocobos, and we're off for Misty Valley.

"So, what happened in Mysidia?" Karei asks again.

Couldn't she wait any longer? Nonetheless, I begin to tell her what happened. Karei doesn't speak a word throughout the entire story, and just stares ahead, watching the road, but I can tell by her face that she's beginning to get a little mad.

As we get out of a rather large forest, I finally finish my story, but still, Karei says nothing. Silence befalls us as we continue on toward the Misty Valley. Karei doesn't look at me a single time during the entire trip.

Finally, I take a nervous gulp, and ask: "Karei?"

"Hmm?"

Uh oh… She's angry, I can tell.

"You… you're not angry with me… are you?" I ask softly, trying not to anger her any further.

But when she turns to me, nothing on her face shows she'd been angry about anything.

"No! Of course not!" she says, smiling reassuringly at me. "How could I possibly get mad at you? You know me!"

I smile back at her, when the Chocobos suddenly come to an abrupt stop.

"Hey!" I cry out in surprise.

As I look up, I suddenly realize where we are, and Karei does too.

"Well, this's our stop!" she says, and gets off of her Chocobo, which runs off the second she releases her hold on him.

I get off of mine as well, and watch as it runs off after its friend. We stand there, watching them run off, until they've vanished from sight.

"Come on! Let's go!" I say, and together, Karei and I enter the Misty Valley.

As the name suggests, the valley is completely shrouded in mist, making it harder for us to see. That's why I grabbed Karei's hand early on, so as not to lose her in this wretched fog. Karei didn't bother, and just followed my lead.

"Hold up!" Karei suddenly says, pulling me back with a gentle tug on my hand.

I look over to see her squinting her eyes against the fog, as if she saw something. A strange, clapping noise, like that of wings sounds somewhere up ahead, and Karei releases my hand to grab a hold of her spear with both hands. I quickly pull out my Dark Sword, already having a faint suspicion of what might be up ahead.

The fogs start separating, caused by the wingbeats of the large Sand Moth that is coming our way, steadily. Sand Moths are large moth-like creatures with a body the size of an average human, while their wings are about five times their width, each. The wings have glaring eyes on them, and it makes all the more frightening.

"Be careful, Ryoku," Karei whispers. "He's not alone."

She carefully points the tip of her spear to right behind the Sand Moth, where another has already appeared, and two large Larvas are crawling over with anger in their beady little eyes. Great, just what we need.

Karei is studying the entire situation, and finally says: "You take the Larvas, I got the Sand Moths."

And with that said, she bends through her knees, and launches herself into the air in no time. The fog above my head makes it impossible for me to see her, but I've got other things to do. One of the Larvas scurries over to me, releasing a screech, but I'm faster, and lash out with my Dark Sword before it could even do any damage. It gives a screech as the wound on its head bleeds violently, but I've already turned my attention to the other, who won't go down as easily. I manage to get a few hits on, but I have to dodge a lot to avoid the large creature.

This definitely isn't going as planned.

I suddenly trip over something, causing me to fall back, rather clumsily. I shake my head and look up in shock, as the Larva is about to crush me. I grin, jab my sword into the ground by its hilt, and hurriedly roll out of the way.

After the Larva died, I somehow manage to extract my sword, and look around for Karei.

The Sand Moths are already gone, so the fog's drifting back into place. I'm getting a bit worried. Karei can take care of herself, but where is she?

"Ouch!" I exclaim as something hits my shin, quite hard.

"Sorry," Karei's voice says. "I was afraid you'd leave without me!"

Typically Karei. But still, she's my friend, and I never want to lose that. I couldn't bear it if she would suddenly leave. I just want her around _all_ the time! Do I sound possessive? I am. When I was a kid, I could have whatever I wanted from the King, but there was nothing I wanted that could be bought with money. The King said he could give me anything I wanted, but what I wanted, was someone besides the King to believe in me. To aid me whenever I needed help. And that was the one thing I couldn't get.

Until I met Karei.

My life had been gloomy until I met her. After that, my life seemed so much better. You can kind of say, without her, I most likely would've died somewhere in my teen years. Not of any decease, or… maybe you could call it that, but hadn't she showed up and handed me the cure when she did, I would've died for sure.

Karei believed in me, even when she didn't know who on Earth I was. But why? That's something I've never been able to understand, but since I met her, I never wanted her to leave. It feels good to have someone believe in you, even when everything looks like it can't get any worse.

But… would she really stay my friend forever?

"Hey, Karei," I say hesitantly.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" she asks, looking at me a little oddly.

What's wrong? Oh, nothing. Just thinking that I never want you to leave me because I always want to be your friend. So will you? I know. Sarcasm, but crap. How to say this? Oh, God, I don't know. But I'll try anyway.

"We… we'll always be friends… right?" I ask.

Karei rolls her eyes and says: "Ryoku, I already made that promise to you! You know that!"

"I want to hear it again! Please," I plead, really needing to hear it.

If she left, I don't think I'd be able to survive on my own. I really_ need_ to hear it from her.

She looks at me, most likely seeing the need in my eyes, and finally says with a sigh: "Oh, fine. No matter what happens, even if the world goes to hell for all I care, we'll _always_ be friends. And it's gonna need one tough monster to tear us apart!"

I smile gratefully at her, and say: "Thank you, Karei."

"You're welcome, Ryoku," she says, returning the smile.

I sling my arm over her shoulders, which startles her for a second, before she smiles and holds on to my hand, and we start walking again. I really don't know what I'd do without her.

"Mope around for god knows how long," Karei suddenly says, and I flinch.

"Did I say that aloud?" I ask.

"Yep."

"Shoot."

Karei chuckles, then turns serious.

"Look, we're both in the army, you know that. There's always a 50% chance that either of us will die in battle. You have to stop being so emotional all the time. I know the chances, Ryoku, but if I ever die, you shouldn't mope about it."

I look at her in confusion. I suddenly get the feeling like she wouldn't cry if _I_ ever died, I don't know what gave me that idea, but it suddenly popped into my head.

"But just because of that, doesn't mean you can't be sad. Hell, if you were to die right now, I'd bet I'd cry for a few hours."

I swear, she's a psychic.

I smile and say: "As if."

"No, I'm serious! I mean---"

"Turn back…"

We both stop dead in our tracks and hurriedly grab our weapons.

"Who's there?!" I demand, looking around.

No response.

"Karei, just what was that?" I ask.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Karei asks in return. "I hardly get here myself!"

We stand there for a long moment, backs pressed together and both on the alert, but nothing shows up.

Karei finally says: "I think it's gone now."

I nod and put my sword away.

"Come on, let's move. This place gives me the shivers all of the sudden," Karei says, grabbing a hold of my hand again.

For once, I agree.

We start to make our way through the valley, making sure to avoid any gaps in the floor. If there's one thing we don't need, it's falling down a hole.

"Bridge!" I say to Karei as I put my foot on the seemingly steady bridge.

"I hear ya," she says softly, looking past me at the bridge.

After I made sure it was steady enough, I started walking over it, Karei right behind me.

"Leave now…"

There's that voice again! Louder this time.

"Is this a Phantom Beast talking?" Karei asked.

"Hope not."

We continue onward, and I keep my hand on the hilt of my sword. Just incase, you never know.

"You're from Baron, aren't you…"

Yep, there it is again.

"Who's there!?" Karei demands, holding her spear tightly in her hands.

"If you turn back, no harm will come to you…"

What kind of answer is that??

"Show yourself!!" Karei shouts in anger.

"You don't intend to go back, do you…?"

I look at Karei, who only nods at me.

"We must deliver this ring to the village of Mist!" I say to whatever's talking to us.

"Then I have no choice!"

Uh oh… this can't be good. The fog begins to gather, forming something in front of us. Something that doesn't look all that friendly.

A dragon!

The large, white dragon rears up, roaring viciously at us.

"This, is, NOT, good," I hear Karei say, right before she bends through her knees and launches herself into the air.

The dragon lunges out at me with its large mouth, but I jump aside and managed to give the creature a good gash across its cheek. This caused the creature to rear up with a roar, exposing the vulnerable throat. With a yell, Karei's sharp heels were embedded in the dragon's neck, making blood trickle from the creature. Karei drops down on the ground, but manages to stay unharmed.

She quickly twirls her spear around between her fingers, before it's sent flying straight at the dragon, at the exact second I rush over and lash out at the creature's neck. Right after my lashes, the dragon suddenly disappears into mist, circling wildly around us. Karei's spear lands only inches away from my foot, and I can see Karei wincing as if it actually hit me.

"Woops," I hear her say.

"Don't worry!" I shout at her. "Did we get it?"

"…Nuh-uh! Here it comes again!!"

Just as she says this, the mist morphs back into the dragon, and lungs out again -- from behind me!!

With a yelp, I jump away, and lash out at it, but my sword gets knocked clear from my hand. Well, this isn't good…

The dragon rears up, roaring at me. I gasp in shock, and I stumble back, only to end up tripping and landing hard on the ground. Yep, this isn't good…

And without a moment's notice, the thing lunges down, mouth opened to swallow me whole. Karei… where are you?

"HEY DRAGON BOY!!! SWALLOW THIS!!!" a booming voice shouts, and something suddenly whooshes past me.

The dragon roars, amidst loud gargles as blood starts dripping out of its mouth and down its neck, while rearing back in agony. Karei instantly runs past me, goes through her legs, and catapults herself at the large creature with a yell. She flips once she's close enough, and buries her heels deep into the dragon's skin, making it roar louder and louder. It echoes through the valley, and it's starting to hurt my ears.

Finally, Karei lands back on the ground, her spear in hand and dripping with blood, as are her heels, and the dragon collapses to the ground with a loud thud. Within mere seconds, the dragon vanishes into fine mist, vanishing without a trace.

Whoa… talk about close calls.

"Ryoku! You alright there?" Karei asks, running over with my sword in the hand that's not holding her spear.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I say softly, getting up.

Karei hands me back my sword, which I sheathe calmly. I look around, searching for the dragon, but it's nowhere to be found.

"I think we got 'em this time," Karei says softly.

"Okay, then let's go before it proves us otherwise," I say and carefully grab her hand, guiding her through the valley again.

After we exit the valley, it doesn't take us long to reach Mist. Somewhere outside of the village, I pull out the ring, and study it a little from all sides. The red gem on top only allows me to guess whatever it's for. And of course, the King hadn't said a thing about the ring. I sigh, thinking that he did it so I would have a harder time.

"Ryoku, you okay?" Karei asks again.

I nod mutely, still holding the ring in my hand.

* * *

Finally we enter Mist, and we look around. There are quite a number of people out, but I still wonder to who we have to give this ring.

"OUCH!!!" I suddenly cry out, dropping the ring after it _burns_ my hand.

"Ryoku!!! Be careful with tha--holy mother of!!!"

I look at the ring together with Karei as the ring is glowing, before becoming engulfed in flames, burning up completely. I'm about to open my mouth, when the fire shoots every which way, igniting houses and trees and hitting people who were still there. Screams of pain are heard across the valley, as the villagers are being burned alive. We stand there, shock written across our faces and unable to form a single sentence.

Only once the screams have died, do we manage.

"What is this?!" Karei demands in anger.

"This is why we were sent here…!" I start, but I'm unable to finish.

"To burn the village…!?" Karei finishes instead.

I step forward, watching the flames engulf what's left of the once beautiful village. Tears start to form slowly, as I shake my head in disbelief. Why? Why did the King want me to do this? Killing people who've done no wrong at all… that's just… just… inhuman!!

I clench my fists as anger starts to seep in. No more! No more, I've had it!!! This has gone too far!! I'm going to have a serious word with _His Majesty_ once we're back!

"Mom! NO…!!"

"Huh? Who's that?" I question, and start to make my way toward the sound.

I hear Karei following behind me.

Eventually, we find a young girl near the edge of the village with light lavender hair, which is combed to the right side of her face. Even so, it doesn't hide her peculiar white eyes, which seem to have no pupils. The girl is sitting on her knees near a woman, who is probably her mother, if the resemblance is any indication. She's trying to wake her up, but I can tell even from the distance that she's already passed away.

When the girl takes notice of us, she blinks her tears away and sniffles.

"Hey, what happened, little girl?" Karei asks with a gentle voice, kneeling down before her.

She sniffles again, and whimpers: "Mom's dragon died… so mom did too…"

"Dear God!" I manage to get out

I can see Karei stiffen immediately, and she slowly gets up, facing me. Her face has turned pale and her eyes have widened.

"I've heard of this. People with the power to call monsters…" she says. "They're called Summoners!!"

Oh no! I've heard of those too. But I never knew where they lived.

…But I do now.

"No… It can't be that us defeating that dragon caused this girl's mother to die…?" I whisper, unable to believe it.

The girl hears and stumbles up and away, looking scared and angry at the same time.

"You guys killed mom's dragon?!" she shouts, tears streaking past her cheeks.

"We didn't know! How could we?!" I say, but the girl won't listen.

She keeps backing up, still crying.

"The King sent us here to wipe out the Summoners…" Karei mumbles softly.

"But why?" I ask, confused.

"I don't know, but I'm not taking this any longer!"

I look at Karei in confusion and shock, and see anger has appeared on her face.

"The King's been ordering me to kill innocent people as well, but I refused every order. I owe him much, but I will not disgrace my family. Something's wrong with him, and I'm going to have a _serious_ talk with that guy once we get back to Baron!" she hisses, punching her palm with as much force as she can, without breaking her wrist.

"Then… we're in this together?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes, we are," Karei says. "But Baron is the strongest military power in the world. Just the two of us opposing it would mean nothing against their might. We must let the other countries know about Baron's power and enlist their aid."

"Thank you, Karei," I whisper, ultimately grateful that she was with me on this.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, it's too dangerous for us to stay here. We've got to get out of this village. What should we do with the girl?"

"Only one choice! She goes with us!" I say, and walk toward the girl. "Come on, it's dangerous here," I say calmly. "Come with us. ……Okay?"

"No!!" she shouts, and backs up again.

"For crying out loud!!!" Karei shouts in anger, and stomps toward the girl. "Listen kid!" she says, grabbing her arm in a tight grasp. "Do you want to _die_ out here!? All your moping won't bring your mother, or _anyone_ back from the dead! They're gone and they can't come back!! Do you understand that!??!"

"Let go of me!!!" the girl cries out, trying to struggle from Karei's grip.

Karei's too powerful for her though, and won't let go that easily. She starts punching on Karei's arm, trying to make her let go, but it just doesn't help.

"Hey, cut it out!!" Karei shouts.

"I can't stand it! I hate you! I hate you all!!" she shouts, and suddenly something materializes behind her.

Karei releases the girl in her shock, and grabs hold of her spear, right before getting swatted aside by a massive hand of the large titan like creature.

"KAREI!!!" I scream as she crashes into the ground, her spear impaled in the ground beside her face.

She's unconscious, but still breathing.

I turn to face the titan, and notice it pulling back for a massive punch -- aimed at the ground!!

I take another moment to study the surrounding area. The village is surrounded by mountains, and if that thing is as powerful as I think it is, then we're in a lot of trouble.

As fast as I can, I run toward Karei, hoping to whatever's up there to make it.

Too late…

The titan slams its fist into the ground, making the ground tremble and causing me to topple over.

Karei leans onto her arms, shaking the grogginess from her head, and turns to face us. Her eyes widen drastically.

"RYOKU!!! LOOK OUT ABOVE YOU!!!!" she screams, and I whip my gaze upward.

The earthquake has caused an avalanche, which is heading straight for us.

Things suddenly start to go in slow motion before my eyes. The earth suddenly cracks open, and Karei tries to jump away, but she's a millisecond too late and is sent down the endless abyss, screaming in fear, which is barely audible above the roaring avalanche. My own scream of denial is almost inaudible as well, as I run for the place where Karei fell into the earth. A huge chunk of falling rock blocks my path though, and I'm left with no escape.

I suddenly get hit in the back of my head, and drop down onto the ground.

The darkness engulfs me…


	3. Chapter 2

_**Final Fantasy IV**_

_Chapter 2_

_It's raining… it's cold… I'm shivering in my clothes as I hide in a corner, crying as no one even tries to find me…_

_Then… the rain stops…_

_No… wait…_

_The rain continues a little further ahead…_

_I notice two feet in front of me, and I slowly let my eyes trail upward…_

_A pair of rubies gazes down at me curiously as a hand grasps her umbrella tightly._

……_Are you alright?_

…_I'm fine… ACHOO!_

…_! You caught a cold! Come on! Let's get you to my place!_

……_Thank you… but no thanks… I can't walk…_

…_That's not true! I know you can do it! Now up, up!_

……_Why are you…?_

…_Because I want to…_

…………_Who…?_

_Karei… my name is Karei…_

* * *

My head pounds like crazy as I slowly open my eyes. The world's spinning wildly before my eyes, and I slowly wait until it returns to turning on its axis again. I shake my head as I sit up, closing my eyes and hoping the headache will go away.

After a while, the dull throbbing fades, and I open my eyes. I get up and inspect myself. My armor's taken most of the hits and it's a little dented here and there. I'm going to need new armor soon. I suddenly notice the girl, and I rush over to her. I inspect her for wounds, but she appears to be okay.

I breathe a sigh of relief, holding a hand to my heart. "Man, what a rush. Eh Karei?" I ask, looking over my shoulder.

That's when I remember what happened.

"Oh no!"

I quickly stand up and look around. I'm in a clearing in a forest, but the girl and I are the only ones there. There is no sign of anything or anyone else.

"Karei!" I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth.

Silence rewards me.

"KAREI!" I practically scream out.

I wait for what seems like an eternity for an answer, before my legs can't support my body any longer and I crash down to the ground. The tears that had been begging to be released since I entered Mist finally roll down my cheeks, leaving a darkened trail across them no doubt. But I can't help it… she's gone… and I could've done nothing to save her…

The sight of Karei dropping into the abyss keeps repeating over and over in my head, her scream of fright echoing in my ears each time. And no matter how many times it's repeated, I still can't save her. I can never get closer to her… never grab her hand as she falls…

This is all my fault… I got Karei into this mess… and now she… she… she's dead…

"I'm sorry…" I whisper softly to no one. "It's all my fault… I shouldn't have gotten you into this mess… I'm sorry…"

_"Look, we're both in the army, you know that. There's always a 50 chance that either of us will die in battle. You have to stop being so emotional all the time."_

…?

_"I know the chances, Ryoku, but if I ever die, you shouldn't mope about it."_

K… Karei?

_"For crying out loud! Listen kid! Do you want to **die** out here? All your moping won't bring your mother, or **anyone** back from the dead! They're gone and they can't come back! Do you understand that!"_

I understand… I do… but… I'm not ready to be alone without you…

_"No matter what happens, even if the world goes to hell for all I care, we'll **always** be friends."_

But… what's the use when you're dead? I… I don't want to be alone… and it's all my own fault… I shouldn't… shouldn't have…

_"Why are you still apologizing? It's my own fault by the way! If I hadn't barged in, I wouldn't have to help you._ _And besides, I can't let my best buddy go somewhere without me being involved, can I!"_

B-but…

_"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ryoku!"_

……………

Heh… even in death, you manage to cheer me up, Karei. That big is the effect you have on me. But still… I'm just a Dark Knight…

Carefully, I get up, my legs still rather weak, but I won't give in this time. With a firm hand, I wipe the tears away, and walk toward the still unconscious girl. I can't stay any longer. Baron is probably on ou… my trail, and I need to escape with the girl.

Gently, I pick her up from the ground and leave the clearing, but not before shedding one last tear for Karei.

Rest in peace, my friend.

* * *

I calmly make my way out of the forest and through the desert. It's rather late, so there aren't that many monsters out. I'm really lucky she's so light, or I wouldn't have been able to carry her around like this.

As I look to the left, I suddenly notice a city a little further up ahead. At first I think it must be a mirage, until I remember that there _is_ a city in this desert. I smile lightly, and start to run for the city, making sure not to wake the girl.

When I reach the city, which is Kaipo by the way, I look down at the girl in my arms. She can't be any older than nine, ten years or so, and yet she managed to beat Karei and I. A pang of remorse strikes me, but I bat it aside quickly. If she doesn't get some rest…

I look around, and finally locate the Inn a little further ahead. I head for the building, and somehow manage to open the door while holding onto the girl as well.

The innkeeper smiles upon entry and says: "Welcome! Do you---" When he sees the girl in my arms, his eyes widen in shock at the sight. "Oh god! Come on! I'll get you a room! Don't worry about the money! Hurry up!" he says, guiding me to one of the rooms and opening the door for me.

"Thank you," I say.

I enter the room, and place the girl on one of the beds. After tucking her in gently, I sit down in a chair in the room at a table. I put my head in my hands, heaving a soft sigh.

What am I going to do? Karei and I were about to stand up to Baron, and now this. I'm sure the two of us could've beaten anything Baron could throw at us, but alone, I'm not even much of a challenge to the large kingdom. With another sigh, I pull the helmet from my head, shaking my head, making my hair wave about. I run my hand through my hair, feeling the locks slide through my fingers.

I smile suddenly, as I remember Karei commenting on it once.

_

* * *

_

"How do you keep it like that?"

_"Keep what like what?"_

_"Ugh! Keep your hair like that. No tangles, no knots!"_

_"Well, that's the advantage of having short hair."_

_"Aha. Hmmm… maybe I should cut my hair too…"_

* * *

I chuckle softly, shaking my head as I lean on one of my hands.

I suddenly hear a slight rustling behind me and I look up. The girl is stretching her arms above her head, giving a slight yawn. She sits up, looking around curiously. "Where… am I?" she wonders out loud.

"Kaipo," I answer calmly, making her give a yelp and whirl around toward me. "Are you okay?"

She frowns angrily, obviously not having forgotten what I did, and demands: "Why should I tell you!"

I raise my hands with a shrug. I walk over and plop down on the other bed with another sigh. "You haven't told me your name yet," I say softly.

"And I won't!" she says angrily and turns away from me.

I shake my head and lean back against the headboard, not looking at her. Instead, I look at the wall. "I know I've done an awful thing, but had I known, I wouldn't have killed your mother's dragon. I've had more than enough of senseless killing, but still, I can't ask for your forgiveness. But, please, let me protect you…" I say, looking at her again.

She doesn't face me. Doesn't even move.

"Please," I say softly. "I already lost someone dear to me because I had been unable to protect her, and I don't want that to happen again."

She doesn't say anything.

I sigh and look at the wall again. Somewhere though, I start to doze off, and before I can stop it, I fall asleep, leaning against the headboard.

* * *

The girl carefully peeked over her shoulder when she heard Ryoku's breathing become calm and even. She noticed he'd fallen asleep, leaning against the headboard. The short ivy green locks shaded his eyes in darkness.

She turned to him completely, a curious look on her face. Finally, she snuggled deeply into the covers, and took a nap herself.

* * *

I shoot up in the bed when I hear the slam of a door downstairs, loud enough to wake up everyone in the inn. The girl also wakes up because of the noise. She probably fell asleep after I did. I look outside and notice it's dark out.

How long was I out?

I quickly jump off of the bed and grab the Dark Sword, pulling it out of the sheath for about an inch.

I step up in front of the girl's bed, right before the door to the room is kicked off its hinges. A General from Baron stalks in, looking rather pissed off. Three soldiers follow him into the room, all of them having a strange coldness in their eyes. Whoever they are, I've never met them before.

"We've finally found you, Ryoku!" the General says.

I can see the girl shivering behind me. I look at her briefly, then look back at the General and demand: "How did you know I was here?"

"More importantly, you have betrayed the King by plotting against him."

Huh? How the heck…!

"Listen to me! The King of Baron is…" I start, but am unable to finish.

"King's orders," the General states calmly. "If you turn over the survivor from Mist, he will forgive your treachery. It has been deemed dangerous for the people of Mist to even exist!"

The girl gives a yelp and backs up as far as she can on the bed. "What? Has the King stooped so low as to kill children!" I say in anger, fully unsheathing the Dark Sword and dropping the sheath on the ground.

The General looks shocked. "Spare me the lecture and give me the girl!" he finally demands.

One of the soldiers stalks over, planning to grab the girl.

"I refuse!" I scream, and bury the Dark Sword in the soldier's chest, making him scream in pain.

I kick him aside and block the sword of another soldier. I manage to unarm him, in both figurative and literal sense. He screams, before I bury the Dark Sword in his gut. The third soldier runs at me in anger, but I step aside and lash out at his back with utmost ease. He screams, before it's cut off by the cracking of his neck.

I look at the General, who's gone pale as a sheet. "Guess who's next," I say with a chilling voice, before launching myself at the man.

He runs off, but I easily get him before he's able to leave.

I quickly return to the girl, noting she's frozen in place. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" I ask her.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault…" she says, hanging her head. "…I'm sorry."

"No, I should be the one apologizing. Well, I know you probably can't forgive me, but…"

"But… you protected me…" she finishes.

I nod softly, running a hand through her short hair. "Yeah, right now, I feel as though it's my duty to do so," I say.

She looks up at me, and I smile slyly at her. Surprisingly, she smiles back! "I'm… Meshi…" she says.

I sit down beside her and say: "Thanks… Meshi. My name's Ryoku. And you better get some rest. I doubt that's the last we'll see of them."

Meshi nods and snuggles up under the covers. "Goodnight!" she says.

I smile and lie down on my own bed. "Same," I say, and close my eyes.

* * *

When I wake up, the sun's just rising above the horizon. But surprisingly, at the end of the bed, stands Meshi, smiling broadly, which lights up her entire face. Wow… it's like I'm looking at a whole new person.

"Morning!" she says.

"Morning," I say, stretching a little, before getting out of bed.

Meshi walks beside me as I pick up my helmet and secure it around my head again. "Okay, we should head away from Kaipo as soon as we can. People from Baron are mighty persistent, so it's most likely they'll be on our tails again," I say to her as we leave the Inn.

"But… what if we run into monsters? I don't have a weapon or anything!" she says, looking a little afraid.

I look at her, blinking. "Then we'll buy something for you," I say.

"But…"

"Don't worry. I've got enough. And besides, I need some new armor. That attack you threw at me dented it pretty badly," I say, knocking a little on my armor

She laughs at it a little, and I do too. Once we stop she shrugs a little. "Sorry about that," she says.

I wave it off, not bothering with it.

"By the way, what happened to that friend of yours? Did she get beat up too?"

I freeze right where I stand, and Meshi looks at me in confusion. I take a few moments to calm down again as that old feeling resurfaces again.

"…She died. Fell into the ravine," I say, before walking on.

Meshi follows a few seconds later. "I'm really sorry… that was dumb," she says, but again, I wave it off.

I don't want to be reminded of it. It makes me feel uneasy and helpless. And right now, that's the least I need.

And besides, what good will moping do me?

……Jeez! I'm already starting to sound like Karei!

Suddenly, Meshi pulls at my hand, stopping me in my tracks. I look at her, but she's looking at a group of people. I look over, but notice nothing odd about them.

But I do hear something interesting.

"Whatever happened to that girl from Baron?"

"Didn't you hear? She passed out once she came through the gate!"

"Whoa! She must've been exhausted!"

"Yeah, and she keeps on calling for someone called… 'Ryoku' or something!"

Meshi looks up at me and says: "You were from Baron too! Weren't you! It could be your friend!"

Most likely not, but I don't want to crush my hope before I see it myself. So, we make our way to the house where everyone is referring to, which is to the north of the Inn. I knock on the door, and a little later, a rather old woman opens the door.

"Yes, sonny? What is it?" she asks.

"We heard a girl from Baron was brought here," I say politely. "She might be a friend of ours. May we see her?"

"Certainly, come on in," she says, and steps aside to let us in.

When we enter the house, I'm overwhelmed by the scent of medications everywhere.

Right, doctor's house, no wonder that girl was sent here.

We are guided up the stairs to one of the rooms there, where the girl is lying on a bed. Like I thought, it isn't Karei.

But it _is_ someone familiar to me.

"Mae!" I rush over to the bed, and look at her in confusion. What's she doing here? "Hey," I say, lightly shaking her.

No response.

That's funny. Mae's a rather light sleeper and usually, a light shake was enough to wake her up.

Meshi walks over and looks at her, a little curiously.

"Well, it's not dragon-lady," she says.

Dragon-lady? What the?

I turn to the doctor, who's also in the room, and ask: "What's wrong with her?"

He looks at us with a sigh. "She's got a desert fever. In order to cure it, you need the Light of the Desert…" the doctor says quietly.

"The what?" I asked, a little confused.

"It's an elusive gem found only in the Antlion's lair."

"Antlion? The one near Damcyan?" Meshi asks, looking at him as well.

…Why am I the only one who doesn't know what this Antlion is?

"Yes, unfortunately," the doctor says.

I think about it for a moment. There's no way I'll let Mae die. I can't make the same mistake twice. "Could you take care of Mae until we get back?" I ask the doctor.

He looks at me a little oddly, but nods his head, saying: "Uh… yes of course. But… why?"

I turn to Mae and say: "I'm not letting another one of my friends die. I've made that mistake once, and I'm not letting it happen again."

And with that, I leave the house, not planning to listen to what that guy had to say.

* * *

"Ryoku! Wait up!" Meshi calls out as she runs after me. "Are you planning to get the Light of the Desert?"

"Yes," I say calmly, though I was fighting to control my emotions.

"But it's too dangerous! You could get hurt! Or you could even---" Meshi starts.

"Look," I say, turning to her and finally losing control, "I made a mistake that cost Karei her life, alright! It was my fault she died! She might not have thought so, but I'm still the one at fault! If I make that same mistake with Mae as well, I would never be able to live with myself! Do you understand that!"

Too late do I realize what I just did.

Meshi is looking at me in shock, and I don't blame her. I straighten up and sigh softly. "Sorry," I mumble, and start walking for the armory.

"Ryoku!" Meshi shouts, running after me. "I'm so…"

"Don't," I interrupted. "Just don't."

I don't need anyone's sympathy. Least of all that of a girl. I really don't need that. I need only one thing, and that's the one thing I can't have.

Karei…

I just want her back… I've known her for so long, that I can barely remember what my life was like before I met her.

Life's unfair like that. You get a limited amount of time with a person, when you don't know the limit, and you take it for granted, but once it's over, you realize how much that someone meant to you. Yeah, I know that's been used many times before, but it's the only way I can _begin_ to explain.

I'll try putting it like this. Ever since it dawned to me that Karei had died, it was as if a part of me had… alongside her… died, and would never arise from the grave again. My entire being felt cold, like something just sucked every last bit of warmth from me, removing who I was, and replacing me with someone I've never seen, heard of, or understood.

I've just never felt this… cold… before…

And to be honest… it hurts.

"Ryoku? Are you alright?" Meshi asks softly.

I nod softly, and smile down at her, but somehow, even that feels empty and… well… just not like my usual self. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Now come on! Let's get you a weapon and then get out of here!"

Meshi smiles, and she follows me to the weapon and armor shop.

* * *

Sadly enough, they have no weapons or armor meant for a Dark Knight, so for the moment, I'm stuck with what I had. Not that I was really complaining. Out loud, that is. Mentally, I was going over every curseword I knew, and if you've lived with Karei as long as I had, that was a lot. But they did have something for Meshi. They had some strong armor to protect her frail body, which wasn't too heavy, and they gave a mighty strong staff, which was really hard.

Sadly enough, this reminded me of the times when Karei would use the stick of her spear to 'knock' some sense into other soldiers.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, we finally head out of the village, toward the cave that would eventually lead to Damcyan. I had never been to Damcyan on foot before, but hey, there's a first time for everything.

The enemies we encounter on the way there do not pose a real threat, and they give Meshi the chance to get used to the aspect of battle. She's a fast learner, and pretty soon, we find our way through the cave, and over a rickety bridge.

"Ryoku, who was the dragon-lady anyway?" Meshi suddenly asks.

I don't even stop in my tracks as I answer with: "I don't want to talk about it."

Meshi looks saddened by my attitude, but I can't help myself. I just want to forget about the whole ordeal and get on with my life, if I have any of that left that is. For I feel as though my world's slowly starting to fall apart, piece by piece. And as it tears my soul apart, I desperately try to piece everything together, but no matter what I try, I'm never able to fully repair it.

"Halt!"

I look up in surprise, noticing an old man, blocking our path, one hand raised to stop us from advancing. His dark spectacles easily hide his eyes, while his graying hair curls up slightly above his shoulders. His mustache and beard seems just as smooth as his hair, and even though he seems to be quite old, he is not bald.

"You should turn back while you still can. This place has become dangerous!" the man states, not planning to move away from the end of the bridge.

Meshi shies away and hides behind me. I frown a little at the man, not about to just go back and let Mae die. I'd sooner fight my way through than to give up without even trying.

"That's too bad, because we're actually quite intend on going through here!" I state coldly and unsheathe the Dark Sword about an inch. "So you best be out of the way, before I'll have to take drastic measures."

What's wrong with me? That wasn't my voice…

Even during battles, I've never sounded so… harsh, before.

But the man is more surprised by my blade than my threat. "You wield the Dark Sword!" he demands, with an almost desperate tone to it.

I narrow my eyes at him, and this time I fully pull out the Dark Sword, letting it shimmer in all its glory. Unlike other swords, the Dark Sword makes the reflected light seem dark, with an almost evil color to it. "The prove is in the putting, isn't it?" I ask calmly.

The man seems to think about something for quite some time, but then he pleads: "Then, please! Help me!"

I blink in surprise, and ask, quite shocked: "What's the problem?"

The man frowns in anger as he says: "My daughter was tricked by a bard and went off to Damcyan! And I sense great evil near there…"

Suddenly, realization hits and I sheathe my sword. "I see. Then you must be the Sage Hannya that I've heard about in Baron," I say, finally understanding who this man was.

I've heard from this guy through several rumors that had been spread among the guards. I didn't bother listening to the rumors themselves and simply remembered the names of whoever they were yapping about.

The man nods plainly and says: "Yes, I am Hannya. I was heading to Damcyan, but there's a powerful monster up in the lake. I cannot defeat him with my magic alone, but mayhaps, with your Dark Sword… We might be able to defeat him!"

I take a second to think about it, then shrug my shoulders and say: "It's a possibility. But I can't be too sure."

Meshi suddenly yanks at my hand, and I look at her in confusion. "I can help too!" Meshi says, looking really stubborn. Looks like there's no way I can talk her out of this.

Hannya suddenly notices Meshi for the first time, and asks: "This girl is a Summoner, isn't she? Quite gifted, as well."

Meshi blushes slightly and hides behind me a little.

Hannya rubs his beard a little, mumbling: "The three of us might stand a chance…"

"Well, you're in luck. We also have to go to Damcyan as soon as possible," I state to him.

"Then it's decided! Let's go to Damcyan!" Hannya exclaims.

I nod plainly, and we start on our way again. Hannya leads the way through the cave, effortlessly leading us through this darned maze. But as we start to make our way through, we end up at river.

"Are you sure we're on the right track?" I ask, just to be sure.

"Yes, yes," Hannya states, and begins to wade into the water. "We have to cross this river to get there, though."

I frown and look over at Meshi, who seems to be very afraid. I don't blame her, because Hannya is already up to his waist in the water, so Meshi will most likely go under if she were to try that.

Calmly, I bend down beside her and say: "Come on, Meshi, hop on."

Meshi looks at me in surprise, but doesn't need me to tell her twice and she climbs onto my shoulders. I don't bother, and hold onto her ankles as I rise to my feet again. I step into the river, and finally make my way over to where Hannya is waiting, watching it all with an amused look on his face. I don't pay it any heed as I continue to carefully wade through the waters, while Meshi holds onto my helmet in fear of falling off. Again, I don't bother.

I think there's a word for all that non-caring stuff. Now what was it again? Uh… oh yeah… 'apathy'.

Can't quite remember where I heard that, but who cares?

It seems to take ages, but finally, we reach what we've been searching for for quite some time. A magic rune imprinted in the ground, which casts a special shield around the people resting atop of it. It's saved multiple soldiers their lives more times than they could keep count, and that goes for me too.

"All right, let's rest here," I state calmly, setting Meshi down on the ground.

Once it leaves my mouth though, Meshi yawns widely, and stretches her arms over her head. Hannya smiles and nods at me. "I agree, it's best we take a rest now. Especially the girl."

"Meshi," I correct him. Hannya looks confused for a moment, so I explain. "That's her name. And I am Ryoku."

"Ah. Well, let's use a tent here, so we can rest up a bit."

I nod at him, and help him set up camp. Meshi is too tired and just plops down onto a rock, watching us with sleepy eyes. It really doesn't take us long to set up the tent, and I calmly walk over to Meshi, who hardly seems with us now. I gently pick her up, and carry her to the tent. Once I enter, Hannya is busy making a fire in the center of the tent so as to warm it up a little. I carefully tuck the young girl in, and notice she's fallen asleep before I'm through.

I smile slightly, and move over to the fire Hannya made.

"How's the girl?" he asks as I join him near the fire.

"Fast asleep already," I reply calmly, gingerly removing my helmet. I set down my helmet beside me, and lean back slightly on my palms.

Hannya chuckles and says: "Must've been an exhausting day for one so young…"

"Two days…" I correct him. "She got her mother killed, her village burned, and her life destroyed. All in that short amount of time." I sadly glance over my shoulder at Meshi. "Had that been me, I wouldn't have lasted for as long as she has."

Hannya studies me carefully, then asks: "What of you? I can tell something horrible must've happened to you as well."

I close my eyes with a soft sigh. Should've seen this coming. I don't respond for a while, but I know I have to get this off my chest with someone. "Too much to keep count…" I say softly.

"Oh? Do you wish to share?" Hannya asks me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I take a deep breath, finally opening my eyes, and begin to speak. I explain to him how I was shunned from my position as commander of the Red Wings, how Karei and I got stuck with the mission to wipe out the Phantom Monsters, and how the battle against Meshi turned out.

By the end of it, I'm almost crying again, but I furiously wipe away at the tears, not wanting to shed any more tears for something that just can't be changed. I know all too well that Karei's gone, and she won't come back no matter how hard I try or wish she would.

"She must've meant a lot to you," Hannya says, obviously having seen my tears.

"Yeah…" I just manage to croak out, as I just can't seem to stop myself from sobbing quietly. "And I only just figured that out… so I never even got to tell her that."

Hannya is silent for a moment, but then he lightly claps on my shoulder, saying: "I'm sure she understood long before you even figured it out if she's like you describe her to be."

I look at him, blinking my tears out of my eyes, before wiping them away. "I don't know…"

"You shouldn't doubt your friend. I'm sure she knew how important she was to you."

I look at Hannya for a few more moments, then avert my gaze to the fire.

I have so many memories that involve Karei, that I can only see those, and not those without her, leaving me clueless as to how I was supposed to continue on like this. I mean, I trained with her, more than I did at the castle. It was truly amazing how much she and her brothers had to teach me. Because every one of her brothers had a different aspect which made them stand out amongst the others.

The differences lay in small things; sight, scent, hearing, touch, strength, intellect and instinct. That was what made each of her siblings unique, and whenever she needed help (which was quite rare) she always asked the sibling that seemed best fit for the job. I had learned that from her as well, when training with her and her brothers, but mostly with her.

She taught me more than I could ever learn with anyone else. But most importantly, she had tried to teach me to become independent. Keyword, tried. The more she tried, the more independent I became from others, but I became all the more dependent on her. So to say the least, her small plan backfired.

But nevertheless, I followed each and every one of her lessons.

Hannya's voice makes me return to earth with my thoughts.

"Such a peaceful face…" he murmurs, and I notice he's looking over at Meshi. "So much like Lilac when she was a child."

…Lilac?

"And Lilac is…?" I ask quietly.

"My only daughter," Hannya responds. "She eloped to Damcyan with a bard because I wouldn't consent to their marriage…"

I nod softly, understanding why he would be so worried about her.

"Why are you going to Damcyan?" he suddenly asks, turning to me.

I don't respond for a moment, weighing my words, then say: "A friend of mine in Kaipo has an extremely high fever."

"So you're after the Light of the Desert? Without that, there's not much hope… You're in a hurry too…"

I nod plainly, to all of it. To change the subject, I ask: "What is the monster in this cavern?"

"He's a huge creature with eight legs," Hannya explains to me. "In order to save both Lilac and your friend, we've got to beat him first…" He becomes quiet for a moment, and just stares into the fire. "I hope this horrible feeling I have about Damcyan is just my imagination, but…"

He doesn't finish, nor does he plan to. I sigh softly and poke at the fire with the tip of my sword. The heat does not effect the chilling cold blade in the least, and I just keep poking at the burning pieces of ember, watching in fascination as they fall apart into pieces… much like I am.

"We should turn in for the night," Hannya says suddenly, standing up. "I'm sure it's not going to be an easy day tomorrow. Coming?"

"Hmm, not yet. I'm not all that tired yet."

Hannya frowns but then he nods, saying: "Well, alright, but don't make it too late."

"I won't."

Hannya walks off and calmly climbs into his sleeping bag. I watch him for a moment, then turn back to the fire. Most likely, there's no way for me to go to sleep tonight. There's just too much going on around me. I don't want to lose anyone else. So much already went wrong, and I doubt it'll be easy from here on. I don't doubt that much more people are going to die before this is all over, but I really don't want to think about it.

All these thoughts of death and mistakes are making me tired… maybe I should really take a rest.

Gingerly, I lay down, not even bothering to get in a sleeping bag. I watch the fire for a little while longer, before I close my eyes and lay there.

The mere crackle of the fire is the only thing in my ears as I drift off.

_

* * *

_

"Hey… hey kid! Wake up!"

……

_"C'mon! Up up up! Breakfast is ready!"_

_Groggily, I open my eyes, and I find myself staring into a pair of deep eyes of bloodruby. They sparkle in amusement when the face they're attached to smiles at me._

_"Good! You're up! Come on! My bros already fixed us all some breakfast!"_

_A hand yanks me from the warm bed, pulling me to the ground. My knees buckle under me, and I crash to the ground painfully._

_"Crap! What's wrong with you! Come on! Get UP!"_

_I get yanked up to my feet by my shoulders, but I nearly topple over again, if two hands hadn't stopped me._

_"Uh… on second thought… maybe I should just bring something upstairs…"_

_I'm placed back on the bed, and I am soon alone once more. I don't move an inch, and it seems to take forever before she returns again._

_"Sorry it took so long! My bros were asking too many questions again!"_

_She sets down a plate on my lap, expecting me to eat it myself no doubt. But I don't want to eat. I just want her to leave me alone and go away. I don't want to go on like this._

_"Hey… come on… you gotta eat something, you know."_

_"…I'm not hungry…"_

_But my stomach protests loudly, making it known that I am, indeed, rather hungry. She laughs at my predicament, and I simply glare at her through weary eyes._

_"If you ask me, you're not 'not hungry'! Now come on! If you don't eat yourself, I'll shove it all down your throat myself."_

_"…You wouldn't dare."_

_"Oh no! Just try me!"_

_She stares at me a long time, not backing down. Her stare is actually becoming painful, so I look away. She probably won't leave until I finish the plate of food on my lap. Might as well humor her…_

_I shakily pick up a spoon and scoop up some of the soup. I can't stop my hand from shaking, and it practically makes everything spill all over me._

_"Holy! Alright! Stop it!"_

_A hand stops my own and I look at her in confusion._

_"Might as well…"_

_She easily climbs on the bed and sits down in front of me on my knees. She pulls the spoon from my hand and scoops up a spoonful. Her hand does not shake, and she calmly raises it to my mouth. I hesitate a little though._

_"I ain't gonna hurt ya or anything!"_

_I look up at her, then open my mouth just enough. She smiles again, popping the spoon into my mouth. Like that, she actually gets me to eat the whole thing up. I don't remember what everything is, but it's all gone when I finally come to my senses again._

_"I didn't catch your name by the way."_

_I look up at her, not knowing if I should answer. But I simply do, as if I don't have a choice._

_"Ryoku."_

_Another smile… and the world fades to nothing as I close my eyes…_

_"…Ryoku…… Ryoku! …… Ryoku! Get yer lazy ass outta there!"_

_TWAP! CRASH!_

_"OW! KAREI!"_

_Karei grins down at me and I glare up at her upside-down face from my position on the ground. "Just what was that for!"_

_"The sun's just showing up, and you know what that means!"_

_I groan softly, closing my eyes. "Oh come ON, Karei! I have training today!"_

_"Not for a few more hours you do! Now UP!"_

_Karei easily yanks me to my feet by my shoulder, making me yelp in surprise. I know protesting won't do me any good, so instead, I allow her to drag me along through the castle. No one is up but a few guards, and they don't bother with what's happening, knowing not to mess with Karei this early in the morning._

_Suddenly, she lets go of my hand, walking a small distance ahead, but then whirls around, her face contorted in fear and shock. "RYOKU! LOOK OUT ABOVE YOU!" she screams, and I whip my gaze upward._

_I'm in my armor, in Mist, just about when the gigantic avalanche has been caused, which is heading straight for us._

_Things once again start to go in slow motion before my eyes. The earth cracks open, I see how Karei tries to jump away, how she's a millisecond too late and is sent down the endless abyss, screaming in fear, which is barely audible above the roaring avalanche. My own scream of denial is almost inaudible as well, as a deep pain is spreading through my body from my heart._

* * *

"KAREI!" I cry out, sitting upright almost instantly.

It takes me some time to calm down again, while I try to remember where I am. Once it dawns to me, I give a soft sigh of relief, but halfway, it ends in a silent choke. I gulp down whatever's blocking my throat, and lay back down.

"Karei…" I whisper softly into the night sky, wanting this ache to just go away.

* * *

I must've dozed off, because next thing I know, Meshi is poking my side to get me to wake up. I groan slightly, before getting up to my feet.

"Morning!" Meshi greets cheerily.

"Morning," I say calmly, stretching my aching limbs a little.

Crap! I can hardly feel my left arm. Must've slept on that single limb the entire time. And it just so happens to be my sword-arm. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

After taking down the tent, we're on our way again.

"Ryoku? Are you okay?" Meshi suddenly asks, tugging on my hand.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I ask in reply.

Meshi squints a little at me, and says: "You don't look okay. You're all pale and you look sick."

Oh for crying out loud! "Oh will you knock it off? You're starting to remind me off……"

I cut myself off mid-sentence, not daring to speak her name again. I can't find it in myself to ever speak her name again, which, I know, is stupid, but I can't help it.

"Ryoku?"

"Just… just leave me alone for a while…"

I don't even bother to look at her again as I just continue to walk.

* * *

After a short while, we reach another river, without a way to go around, or over it.

"We're going to have to go through the river again," Hannya says to us. "Most bridges broke down a few weeks back because of the monsters."

I nod simply. But just as I'm about to step into the water, a low moan from somewhere behind me makes me stop.

"Ryoku, what---"

"Sssh."

We stand in silence for a while, and it doesn't take long for yet another moan to echo throughout the cave. We all whirl around in surprise, only to stand face-to-face, if you could call it that at least, with a group of Zombies. Which was the last thing we needed.

Another problem here, is that my sword was ineffective here. So… now what?

"Oh this is just great!" Hannya exclaims, a tad peeved by the sound of it.

Meshi pales at the sight of the Zombies, apparently never having seen them before. Not that I blame her. Those things are not pretty to look at. I seriously _hate_ those zombies. Stupid undead should just _stay_ dead.

…Hey, hold up.

"Meshi, do you know any healing-spells?" I asked the small girl.

She blinked at me, obviously not understanding what I was getting at. "Huh? Uh… yeah, why do you ask? Are you hurt!"

Figures she'd think that. Apparently, she's never had to face zombies before. Hannya has by the looks of it, as he slaps himself to his forehead. "Oh of course! How could I forget _that_!" he mumbles, and starts chanting.

Meshi looks awfully confused, so I explain it to her quickly: "Zombies are already dead, so if we want to kill them, we need to use curative spells or potions. It's one of the few things the undead are weak against."

For a second, Meshi looks at me a bit blankly, but then she smiles brightly, nodding, before beginning to chant herself. Which leaves me pretty much helpless. My sword is pure darkness, so whatever I do, I can't use my sword against these guys. Of course, I haven't trained with Karei for so long without catching a few stray tricks here and there.

I leap away from one of the zombies that had tried to get to me, smirking a bit. With a single well-aimed kick, the guy's head is sent flying and the zombie crashes down to the ground. I wince a bit at that. Normally, the guy is sent flying completely, but then again, I've never kicked a zombie before.

A yowl of surprise erupts from my mouth when the headless body suddenly grabs hold of my leg. "Ah gross!" I scream, kicking the zombie and sending the body flying -- but with the arm still attached to my leg. "Eeeeewww!" I hiss, somehow managing to get it off.

A yelp tears from my throat as I duck underneath a swing aimed for my head. I growl, before punching straight to the zombie's chin, sending it smashing back into several of its 'friends'.

A sudden blast of fire tears through the group, burning them to a crisp, but several of them are still standing. I blink and turn around, noting that Hannya looks horribly embarrassed. I'm not going to ask and just continue fighting any zombie coming near me.

"Keal!" Meshi shouts, and the sparking rays of life make the zombies cry out, before evaporating into dust.

I smile at the small girl, then turn to Hannya, slightly confused. "Hannya, what was…?" I venture, slowly, hoping he won't take it personally. And he doesn't.

"I apologize. My memory isn't as good as it was years ago. So it might not be a good idea to let me try to cast healing spells on either of you."

I nod, understanding his reasoning. Must be tough to forget everything you ever learned in a single moment.

* * *

We continue on through the cave, not stopping unless we need to battle off some of the creatures, and those occasions are pretty often. So needless to say, it takes the rest of the day to finally reach the end of the cave, leading out onto a field between two mountains. The sun hasn't set yet, so we might have enough time to face the monster in the next cave.

So we press on, with Meshi sitting on my shoulders so she can preserve her strength for later. Hannya leads the way toward the cave, and I have to bend a little to make sure Meshi didn't hit her head. This cave isn't as well-lit as the previous one, and thus we all have to watch our steps to avoid falling to our doom.

The end comes as a bit of a shock to me, as we arrive at a massive waterfall. "Dead-end…"

"No, there is a pathway to the right. Right there," Hannya says, pointing toward said path. I frown a little, noting it's a very steeple one.

"Are you sure it's safe enough?" I ask of Hannya, just incase, turning to him. Hannya nods simply, and to prove it, goes first.

I hesitate for a moment, before setting down Meshi and following Hannya, keeping a hand to the wall, not really wishing to fall at this point. Meshi's pushing herself completely up against the wall, clearly not enjoying this method of travel, though I can't say I blame her. The waterfall has caused the stones to be awfully slippery, so we have to be careful with every step we take. Any wrong step can have us dropping down and possibly breaking every bone in our body.

* * *

It took us quite some time, but we finally make it to the bottom of the path. Meshi and I breathe out in slight relief, before we continue on ahead. We don't run into any enemies underway, and no doubt we would've been able to move on without a single worry, until…

"Yaah!" Meshi shouts as she trips and lands flat on her face. "Owie…" she whimpers. I walk over and help her back to her feet, asking if she's all right. She nods, holding onto her head. "I tripped over…" she starts, turning to see whatever she tripped over --- and screams.

Both Hannya and me instantly whip around, ready to take out whatever she saw… only to wince upon spotting the rotting corpse that Meshi had no doubt tripped over. However, once I get over my horror, I realize exactly _what_ I'm looking at…

"This guy…" I whisper, moving toward it, though keeping my Dark Sword unsheathed. "He was a Dark Knight…"

The armor he wears isn't the same as mine though; his was much more sturdy, and even though it was obvious the guy has been dead for a long time, it has suffered limited damage upon the guy's death. …Which gave me an idea.

"Ryoku? What are you doing?" Hannya asks in surprise when I reach over and start stripping the corpse of its armor.

"Not like this guy still needs this, right? I need it a lot more than he does," I retort, before wincing at the putrid smell coming from it. "I'm washing it first though… I don't wanna smell like a zombie…"

Hannya looks at me disapprovingly, and Meshi seems to hesitate, before taking a deep breath and running over to help, clearly not wanting to breathe in the stench of death. After Meshi starts to help, Hannya finally concedes the point and walks over, stripping the corpse quickly.

Call me a scavenger, but I _need_ the armor.

* * *

"Is it okay _now_?" Meshi asks, as I pull out the helmet from the stream. Taking one whiff, I nod finally.

"Yeah, should be good to go now. Let's get 'em out." Meshi helps me to pull the armor from the stream where we'd left the armor to wash and get rid of the stench. We wait for them to dry a bit, before I attempt to put the armor on. It's a bit of a loose fit, but I guess it'll have to do, for now.

"Alright. Now that that's done with, what say we move on?"

"Okay, okay," I mumble. "Easy, Hannya."

As we continue on, not much else is said. I don't try to think too much, knowing what will happen if I do. As we wade into the water, I look toward the waterfall. I squint a bit, and can just make out the vague shape of a cave behind the water. However, I don't see anything even closely resembling a monster of any kind.

"Don't drop your guard just because you can't see it…" Hannya warns. I nod quietly, keeping a hand on the hilt of my sword. Meshi gulps, gripping her staff tightly in her hands, obviously a bit nervous.

Strange… Normally I'd feel nervous about something like this too…

…I wonder if I'm all right…

…STOP! Stop thinking! Stop right there! Just focus!

I take a deep breath, before pressing on, Hannya and Meshi right behind. The water is slowing our movements even though it only reaches my ankles, and it's starting to get annoying.

Suddenly my toes bump into something and I stop dead. Meshi bumps into my leg, yelping, and Hannya seems confused. "Ryoku?"

I don't answer immediately, frowning a little as I spot something up ahead in the water. Within only a second, I have my sword drawn and lash out to block whatever just launched itself at my face. However, it slithers away and socks me in the head.

"GAH!" I hit the water quite hard, and managed to get up before I choke on water. "What the hell!"

"That's it!" Hannya shouts and I look up as something emerges from the water.

I can feel my eyes widening at what I'm seeing. Hannya was right; it WAS an eight-legged monster, almost twice as high as I was. Its skin was a deep red with green and blue circles here and there, and a number of pads attached to each of its limbs.

"This is Octomammoth!"

So that's it, huh?

…For some reason, "sushi" comes to mind.

Shaking that comment off, I clutched my sword tighter, and lunged for it again, somehow managing to maintain speed in the water. I don't stop to think about how that's possible and just lash out violently, but find my sword blocked by one of Octomammoth's arms.

"Dammit!" I curse, leaping away to avoid another hit to the head. "Just what does it take to take this freak down?" I turn to Hannya and ask: "Hannya! Can you try and remember a spell that can help us out here!"

Hannya looks slightly surprised at that question. "I… Alright, I'll give it my best shot!" Hannya said, beginning to wrack his brain for a decent enough spell.

"You jerk!" I suddenly hear Meshi scream. I whirl around to see her whacking the octopus with her staff in anger.

"Meshi! Look out behind you!" I shout at her.

She whips around in surprise and yowls in shock when she spots one of the limbs coming her way. I react within a second, leaping up and bringing up my sword. As I drop, I slice downward, thus cutting off a good chunk of the freak's limb.

It yowls in agony as I pull Meshi aside. "Esh! Meshi! You're better off healing! So stick with that!" I say harshly.

"Sorry…" Meshi apologizes.

"I might just have something!" Hannya called out, and quickly chanted before casting the spell.

Seconds later, a lightning spell zaps the large octopus, making it yowl in pain. I smirk and take that moment to leap into action, slicing off every single one of its arms. This makes it screech in anger and pain, but I've had it with this freak.

"Sorry buddy! Game over! Darkness Wave!" I shout, gripping my sword tightly, before quickly slicing at the air several times, sending the piercing purple shockwaves slicing right through it.

So… sushi anyone?

* * *

"Ryoku! That was amazing!" Meshi cries out, running over quickly, followed shortly by Hannya.

I don't bother and just try to collect my breath. That's what I hate about that move; leaves you winded for a while. Not to mention it saps up a lot of your strength. Double-edged sword indeed…

"Are you okay?" Hannya asks.

"Yeah… give me a minute…" I say, finally managing to catch my breath. "We should get going before it gets dark."

"Of course. With Octomammoth out of the way, we're free to continue to Damcyan."

* * *

After the fight with that stupid squid, it takes us another 2 hours before we _finally_ exit the caves. And I can't say it's not welcome. Meshi cheers loudly upon exiting, and I myself take a deep breath while Hannya looks awfully relieved.

The sun is already setting, but we might have enough time to reach Damcyan. And I hope Mae hangs on for just a little longer… who knows what might happen if we don't make it…

"Well… I must say, thank you," Hannya says as we walk on. "I doubt I would've survived against Octomammoth."

"'s Alright," I say simply.

"So what will you do after this?"

I blink. "What we'll…?" I start, before I stop. I know what I _should_ be doing… but I'm not sure if I really _can_.

…STOP IT ALREADY! STOP BLOODY THINKING LIKE THAT AND JUST _DO_ IT!

"I'm planning to fight Baron."

"What!"

"Baron has committed a crime against me I cannot forgive. I'll deal with them on my own if I have to."

Meshi looks horrified, before she tugs on my arm. "Hey… You're not alone. I'll help."

I smile. "Thanks Me--"

A sudden explosion startles us and makes us look up in surprise, and we gasp in unison, not believing what we're seeing.

I can see the city Damcyan… but it's being bombarded by something. And I'd recognize those explosions anywhere. I cast my face skyward and pale in horror.

The Red Wings.


End file.
